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Education NewsThu, 01 Feb 2018 23:20:17 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.2Department of Justice Shuts Down Free Berkeley Courseshttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/department-of-justice-shuts-down-free-berkeley-courses/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/department-of-justice-shuts-down-free-berkeley-courses/#commentsWed, 21 Sep 2016 12:00:14 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=284634The US Department of Justice has found the University of California at Berkeley to be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, stating that the school has not made all of its free course content and lectures that are available on online platforms fully accessible to individuals who have hearing, visual, or manual impairments. In a […]

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Kristin Decarr

The US Department of Justice has found the University of California at Berkeley to be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, stating that the school has not made all of its free course content and lectures that are available on online platforms fully accessible to individuals who have hearing, visual, or manual impairments.

In a statement, the Department of Justice discussed its investigation into the accessibility of the school’s free audio and video content available to the public through its YouTube channel and iTunes U platform, in addition to the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that it offers through the edX learning management platform. It states that all people who have any form of disability should be able to access all services, programs, or activities available through public entities such as UC Berkeley.

The investigation was opened after a complaint was received by the department arguing that the “free, publicly available online content” provided by the school could not be accessed by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. After speaking with representatives for the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), the group who made the complaint, the department determined that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing would have a difficult time using the content because the majority of it would be inaccessible to them. For example, videos were found without captions, rendering them completely useless to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

In response to these findings, the University has asked campus experts to consider the best course of action. In a statement, the school said that while it does intend to openly work with the department with regards to its ADA compliance, it adds that because of budgetary constraints it may not be able to continue to offer the same extent of free public content under the conditions that the Department of Justice is asking for as it had previously.

The statement continues to say that the department is asking for the school to “implement extremely expensive measures” in order to continue to offer free resources to the general public. However, the University states that as it faces “substantial budget deficits and shrinking state financial support,” its resources would better go toward the support of students enrolled at the school. Because of this, the school said that it must consider no longer allow the public to access its content.

“Please know that we fully intend to exhaust every available option to retain or restore free public availability of online content. It is our hope that we will find an appropriate resolution with the Department of Justice that allows us to serve the extended seeing- and hearing-impaired community and continue to provide free online content.”

In order to remedy the situation, the department is asking the school to develop a system that will monitor compliance with the technical standards that have been adopted in the University of California’s Information Technology Accessibility Policy. In addition, procedures must be developed to ensure that individuals with disabilities are able to access all online resources on all platforms that the information is provided on.

The department is also requesting that the school pay compensatory damages to individuals who received any injuries as a result of the school’s failure to comply with title II.

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/department-of-justice-shuts-down-free-berkeley-courses/feed/0Kobe Bryant Invests in Online Educationhttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/kobe-bryant-invests-in-online-education/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/kobe-bryant-invests-in-online-education/#commentsThu, 15 Sep 2016 12:00:51 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=284399Kobe Bryant has invested in a company called VIPKID that aims to teach Chinese Students English via an online North American elementary school experience. Bryant is hoping to become known for leading the next generation into a better education than they would have had. Through his venture capital firm Bryant Stibel, jointly owned by Kobe Bryant and Jeff Stibel, […]

Kobe Bryant has invested in a company called VIPKID that aims to teach Chinese Students English via an online North American elementary school experience. Bryant is hoping to become known for leading the next generation into a better education than they would have had.

Through his venture capital firm Bryant Stibel, jointly owned by Kobe Bryant and Jeff Stibel, Bryant has given $100 million in funding to VIPKID. This is the second Chinese company to receive funds from Bryant Stibel following their funding to the online supplier Alibaba.

As Richard Chang noted for The Journal, it took Bryant only a few minutes of meeting with VIPKID to decide it was something he wanted to invest in. Bryant and Stibel both noted that if they could have, they wouldn’t have gone public with the fund.

“Their platform is changing things. It’s a no-brainer for me. We have to look for companies adding value to society, helping kids learn and grow whether through education, nutrition,” Bryant said in an interview.

VIPKID is changing things for Chinese students, but also for many English speaking people. Their website notes that they are looking for native English speakers to become part-time teachers and help in their campaign to teach Chinese students.

Cindy Mi, the founder, and CEO of VIPKID said “We value Kobe`s influence in the U.S. and around the world. With this investment, we can strengthen the bridging of resources between the U.S. and China and further improve VIPKID`s strategic plans for international development.”

Bryant isn’t the only basketball player getting into tech investing. Carmello Anthony and even NBA commissioner David Stern are investing in tech companies, though they are focusing on ventures relating to sports, note Paresh Dave and Tracey Lien writing for the Los Angeles Times. Bryant’s focus on education and general tech companies make him consider his ventures completely different from others.

Stibel noted that Bryant has been going to China since the fund realized the potential of the country. While this will only be the second investment in a Chinese company, many others could be on the way. As Michael Jay Toledo notes for Bitbag, this will mark the 15th investment for Bryant Stible in technology and media companies.

Two companies Bryant Stibel has invested in, Represent and Shift, have been acquired by other companies. Represent is a fundraising service and Shift is a marketing software developer. It is unknown how much Bryant Stibel has made from those ventures, but the success of the companies speaks to how wise the investments moves were.

Business Wire notes that Bryant Stibel and VIPKID were connected through Learn Capital. Learn Capital is a Silicon Valley VC firm which has been very successful in its own right.

VIPKID plans to spend its funding on product development and employees. VIPKID is currently growing by 1,000 teachers a month across all of North America, with the new funds being used to increase that number. VIPKID also looks to lead the online pack in standards and content quality to improve the online experience for teaching English as a second language.

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/kobe-bryant-invests-in-online-education/feed/0Coursera for Business Launches to Serve Corporate Markethttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/coursera-for-business-launches-to-serve-corporate-market/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/coursera-for-business-launches-to-serve-corporate-market/#commentsFri, 09 Sep 2016 12:00:41 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=283995Coursera, one of the leading online learning platforms offering distance courses from prestigious colleges and universities, is expanding into corporate learning and development. Coursera for Business launched officially last week. Rick Levin, Coursera CEO and a former president of Yale University, commented that the move was not surprising for the startup and it came naturally: “We have […]

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Ina Krasteva

Coursera, one of the leading online learning platforms offering distance courses from prestigious colleges and universities, is expanding into corporate learning and development. Coursera for Business launched officially last week.

Rick Levin, Coursera CEO and a former president of Yale University, commented that the move was not surprising for the startup and it came naturally:

“We have 21 million registered users and are adding about half-a-million registered users per month. When we looked at the email addresses of our learners… we would see thousands signing up from one corporate email domain, ten thousand in one case.”

According to Levin, it was clear that large corporations were already using Coursera to ensure the professional growth and development of their employees. As Lora Colodny of Tech Crunch noted, citing the 2015 Annual Training report, U.S. businesses spent $70.6 billion on corporate training expenditures last year. It resulted in less money going to payroll or full-time inhouse training staff, and more funds allocated to outside products and services. The report also suggested that 70 percent of companies use some kind of learning management systems and virtual classrooms.

Upon the official launch, Coursera counted many reputable companies as clients, including L’Oréal, Boston Consulting Group, and Axis Bank. The enterprise edition features specially curated curriculum tailored to corporate goals, with the option to track employee enrollment and learning progress, writes Paul Sawers of Venture Beat. Coursera for Business also offers learners certifications they can display either internally or on LinkedIn and elsewhere to show their competencies. Julia Stiglitz, a Coursera executive, cited a recent survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers showing that millennials consider learning and development as important as their remuneration package.

Some of its competitors like Udacity, edX, and Udemy have also entered the corporate training market. For instance, Udacity’s Open Education Alliance offers nanodegrees in tech subjects such as data analysis and web design. Microsoft partnered with the reputable French business school INSEAD to develop online sales training in 2014. In comparison to some of its competitors such as Pluralsight and Treehouse, Coursera is expanding its catalog from more technical topics to management, psychology, humanities, and the social sciences. Coursera’s online classes are longer format videos and assessments and not videos and quizzes broken into small-sized chunks, added the company.

Established in the Sillicon Valley in 2012 by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng, Coursera collaborates with numerous universities and other educational institutions to serve more than 20 million online students in hundreds of courses across business, technology, science, and other disciplines. Since its inception four years ago, Coursera has raised almost $150 million in VC investments. According to Curtis J. Bonk, a professor of instructional systems technology at Indiana University, Coursera will likely be successful in the field of corporate training as its certificates are having real value in the labor market.

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Ina Krasteva

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/coursera-for-business-launches-to-serve-corporate-market/feed/0Online Degrees, Online Courses Grow in Popularity, Breadthhttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/online-degrees-online-courses-grow-in-popularity-breadth/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/online-degrees-online-courses-grow-in-popularity-breadth/#commentsThu, 01 Sep 2016 11:30:55 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=283775Earning a degree online has become much easier in the past few years, and the ease at which the public can access courses and degrees has far reaching benefits and consequences that many overlook. Now, using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, a study was conducted to see what effect online degrees have […]

Earning a degree online has become much easier in the past few years, and the ease at which the public can access courses and degrees has far reaching benefits and consequences that many overlook. Now, using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, a study was conducted to see what effect online degrees have had for the public.

Of the top ranked universities, nearly three-quarters offer online degrees, per the Center for Online Education. This includes famous universities such as Johns Hopkins and Harvard as well as other private and public universities. While the primary fields for these degrees are health and business, online degrees are becoming increasingly more common in other areas as well.

Daphne Koller, CEO of the online education platform Coursera, has been making headlines with statements saying online degrees are becoming increasingly feasible. Data suggests that the influx of online education may have already happened and more than a quarter of university students take at least one online course.

Half of the top 100 universities are increasing the degrees they offer online. For instance, in just two years North Carolina State University increased the courses it offered online by 34. 83 of the top 100 universities offer at least one online degree and the trend for increasing degrees available isn’t slowing down.

Data also suggests that the largest colleges in terms of enrollment are precisely that big due to offering online degrees. 95,000 of Liberty University’s 110,000 students, for example, are enrolled online. Liberal arts colleges appear to not be catching on as quickly. Only four of the top 100 liberal arts colleges offer online degrees.

Business has been considered the most popular online degree choice, but the study showed that this the trend is changing. In the largest and top universities, the discipline of education has the most courses offered. It leads the nearest competitor, health professions, by over 50 offered courses. Out of the 263 schools considered, over a quarter offer courses in education.

The top five disciplines of study offered in online courses, which lead the pack by a significant margin, are education, health professions, business management, engineering, and computer and information sciences. This may in part be due to these degrees being among the better-paying majors.

The study also considered which fields would be increasing in the online degree market in the future. There was a decrease in only two fields offered in online degree work, out of a total of 38, which were philosophy and religious studies. In 32 of the areas, there was an increased number of degrees offered.

The study found that there won’t be a significant change in what degrees are offered online. The top five areas for growth and for courses offered are the same so there seems to be a trend in increasing what is already being offered.

Nine out of the top 20 schools that offer the most online degrees are private. While liberal arts colleges aren’t following the trend of increasing online courses, the same can’t be said for private institutions as a whole.

In a world where technology is making learning and earning a degree even easier, universities appear to be keeping pace and increasing the options available for online students. In total, out of the top 100 schools that offer online courses, there are 1,037 courses offered. With so many options available, there seems to be a clear trend that online learning will only continue to grow.

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/online-degrees-online-courses-grow-in-popularity-breadth/feed/0Report Calls for State-Led Accreditation Systemshttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/report-calls-for-state-led-accreditation-systems/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/report-calls-for-state-led-accreditation-systems/#commentsTue, 23 Aug 2016 17:00:16 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=283222According to a report from the National Center for Policy Analysis, traditional higher education is not meeting the needs of employers. Many companies are welcoming online students, but accreditation is often an issue for online schools, and the report outlines how this problem should be rectified. A Society for Human Resources Management surveyed 378 randomly-selected human […]

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Jace Harr

According to a report from the National Center for Policy Analysis, traditional higher education is not meeting the needs of employers. Many companies are welcoming online students, but accreditation is often an issue for online schools, and the report outlines how this problem should be rectified.

A Society for Human Resources Management surveyed 378 randomly-selected human resources professionals and found that 79% had hired someone with an online degree in the previous year.

A survey by PayScale and Future Workplace found that 87% of graduates feel ready for the workforce, but only 50% of managers think that recent graduates are ready for a full-time job.

Many students choose online education because of the cost of attending traditional universities. According to the College Board, tuition at public four-year institutions has increased by 40% over the past decade. In the 2013-2014 school year, the cost to attend a public four-year college came to an average of $17,474 and a private not-for-profit college cost $35,074. Since 1997, the cost of textbooks has risen 1041%, and total student loan debt is now more than $1.1 trillion — the problems that online education is meant to address.

Purely online schools solve the problem of traditional university expenses. They are able to provide certificates and nano-degrees as well as traditional diplomas. They are also less expensive — a year’s tuition at online college Western Governors University is $5,780. Students also don’t have to pay fees for dorms, a student center, or sports facilities.

Many online schools also use free Open Education Resources (OER) for textbooks, lesson plans, and entire courses. However, purely online courses often suffer from a lack of student/teacher interaction. They are also seldom finished, as they don’t have the same resources to keep students focused as traditional universities do.

Hybrid schools are traditional schools that offer online courses or components of courses. These programs, often known as blended learning courses, offer the flexibility of online courses while increasing the motivation to succeed.

Thirdly, corporate partnerships are aimed towards better equipping workers for modern conditions than traditional schools may be able to. For example, Google and Instagram created online courses with Coursera. Google, AT&T, and Facebook have partnered up with Udemy to create programs to teach programming, data analysis, and web development.

However, online education often raises issues surrounding accreditation. Accreditation “serves to protect academic rigor and assure students (and potential employers) that a college is legitimate.” The report suggests a new model of accreditation where students earn credits for subject mastery. According to Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation, the value:

“…Would be determined through the system of independent accreditors in competition with one another to demonstrate that their “stamp of approval” is the most accurate in judging competencies valued by employers.”

The report likens the idea to an inspector’s seal of approval for a car.

In conclusion, the report recommends the passing of the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act (HERO) which would allow states to establish their own accreditation systems.

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Jace Harr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/report-calls-for-state-led-accreditation-systems/feed/0Omaha Public Schools to Offer Virtual Learning Schoolhttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/omaha-public-schools-to-offer-virtual-learning-school/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/omaha-public-schools-to-offer-virtual-learning-school/#commentsThu, 11 Aug 2016 12:00:34 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=282537Omaha Public Schools are set to open an online program meant to appeal to homeschooled students. Called Virtual Learning School, the project offers the state’s first district-run online courses. The courses, which include both core subjects and electives, will be offered for free to students in grades K-8. Each student will receive a laptop on which to […]

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Jace Harr

Omaha Public Schools are set to open an online program meant to appeal to homeschooled students. Called Virtual Learning School, the project offers the state’s first district-run online courses.

The courses, which include both core subjects and electives, will be offered for free to students in grades K-8. Each student will receive a laptop on which to do their work from Omaha Public Schools (OPS) which will have to be returned at the end of the school year.

Students must also be dual-enrolled in OPS and sign up for at least two classes. Those classes will be held at the DoSpace Metropolitan Community College classrooms once a week and will be supervised by a virtual instructor, student learning advisor, or social worker. Students must also attend a three-hour orientation and various field trips, family socials, and collaborative opportunities.

The web-based software and curriculum will be provided by K12 Classroom LLC, which has recently dealt with controversy, according to Erin Duffy of the Omaha World-Herald. The company allegedly engaged in misleading advertisements and inflated attendance numbers to get more state funding. The company admitted no wrongdoing, but agreed to pay the state of California $8.5 million.

The online school will be available beginning this month. So far, it has received more than 180 applications, and enrollment will be capped at 300 students for the first year. The classes begin on August 17th, according to the schools’ website, and it is recommended that interested students apply before that start date.

Online courses for high schoolers are already available for a fee from the University of Nebraska High School.

In Nebraska, there are more than 8,000 homeschooled students, which numbers about 2.5% of the state’s children, reports Ben Bohall of Net Nebraska.

Wendy Loewenstein, director of the new program, has been holding informational sessions for parents. She said:

“I believe strongly that a school isn’t just about the building, it’s about the students. Not every student can find success in a traditional school environment, and our school will be providing another option for families to explore.”

Between 2003 and 2013, homeschooling in the US increased by more than 60%.

Some concerns that have been raised about the Virtual Learning School include the lack of parent control over the curriculum — which is a central reason that many parents homeschool — and questions about the efficacy of online learning.

Michael Barbour, director of doctoral studies with the Farrington College of Education, says that the effectiveness of online learning depends on how it’s used and who uses it. It may be better used as a supplement rather than a full-time learning plan. He said:

“There are just some students who aren’t going to be engaged by that. In much the same way that some students aren’t going to be engaged in a face-to-face classroom. The difference is in a face-to-face classroom a teacher can look around and recognize when they’ve lost their students. And a good teacher can make accommodations for trying to re-engage that student, where a computer can’t.”

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Jace Harr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/omaha-public-schools-to-offer-virtual-learning-school/feed/0Virtual Learning Academy Charter Schools (VLACS) Succeedhttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/virtual-learning-academy-charter-schools-vlacs-succeed/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/virtual-learning-academy-charter-schools-vlacs-succeed/#commentsTue, 09 Aug 2016 12:00:09 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=282386The VLACS education model, or Virtual Learning Academy Charter Schools, are gaining worldwide attention with the United States seeing a nationwide boom in online learning academies. The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of full-time virtual schools, with over 450 now active and enrolling more than 260,000 full-time students and millions […]

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Chris Young

The VLACS education model, or Virtual Learning Academy Charter Schools, are gaining worldwide attention with the United States seeing a nationwide boom in online learning academies.

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of full-time virtual schools, with over 450 now active and enrolling more than 260,000 full-time students and millions more attending part time.

The VLACS model is notable for its flexibility. As is also the case with MOOCs, however, recent studies have highlighted poor performances at online schools.

Despite this, Wired’s Chris Berdik writes, VLACS stands out as an online success story, with the school’s full-time students, on average, equaling or modestly exceeding New Hampshire average scores on state reading and math tests and the SAT.

The secret to VLACS’ success, Berdik writes, is likely in the fact that they do things differently from the average virtual school: traditional courses are broken up into specific skills and abilities, called “competencies,”; funding is based on student performance rather than enrollment; and there is a real focus on building strong student-teacher relationships.

While most virtual schools enlist parents or guardians as unpaid “learning coaches” who are responsible for keeping students motivated and up to date with their studies, VLACS take a different approach. Teachers are encouraged to communicate frequently with students and check their progress.

Lisa Kent, a VLACS physical education and wellness teacher, expressed the importance of upholding this communication-based approach for VLACS:

“Being ever present is paramount to building that working relationship. Students need to know you’re there, seeing what they do, and that you care about and support them.”

During her interview with Wired, Kent showed her academy dashboard on her laptop that she uses to track her students. She can sort the students based on different criteria, one being the last time they contacted her. If a student has not been active for more than a week, she reaches out to check if everything is ok.

The parents and students interviewed for the Wired piece also elaborated on the communication focused courses, saying that they had more one-on-one interactions with teachers on the VLAC course than they did in traditional schools.

The University Herald has also cited the recent boom in technology-aided learning. The Herald’s Michael Lagura focuses on the view expressed by industry and academic professionals that universities must put themselves at the forefront of these technological changes or risk being left behind in a rapidly changing learning environment.

The feeling is that despite poor performance records in many online learning courses, new methodologies, such as the one seen in VLACS’ communication focused approach, can join the best of traditional learning advantages such as the proximity of personal tutoring and a virtual learning environment.

Taking into account pressures on education systems worldwide, with teachers at traditional schools complaining their classrooms are too full, there are certain approaches that will be more readily achieved in a future tech-based learning landscape, making the changes desirable for education experts. Julia Freeland Fisher, director of education research at the Clayton Christensen Institute, expressed her excitement:

“To do competency-based education at scale you need to use technology. Imagine 30 students in a class truly moving at an individual pace and then having to test them all at different times in different ways.”

Advocates say that VLACS and other online learning programs like it have the potential to empower students by putting them at the helm of their own learning experiences.

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Chris Young

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/virtual-learning-academy-charter-schools-vlacs-succeed/feed/0Dept of Ed Proposes New Distance Learning Regulationshttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/dept-of-ed-proposes-new-distance-learning-regulations/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/dept-of-ed-proposes-new-distance-learning-regulations/#commentsThu, 04 Aug 2016 12:00:42 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=282011The US Department of Education has proposed regulations that seek to improve oversight and protect more than 5.5 million distance education students at degree-granting institutions by clarifying the state authorization requirements for postsecondary distance education. The students who will see the benefit of this government initiative include nearly 3 million students who study exclusively online. The […]

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Chris Young

The US Department of Education has proposed regulations that seek to improve oversight and protect more than 5.5 million distance education students at degree-granting institutions by clarifying the state authorization requirements for postsecondary distance education. The students who will see the benefit of this government initiative include nearly 3 million students who study exclusively online.

The regulations have been proposed in part to ensure that institutions offering distance education are legally authorized and monitored by states as required by the Higher Education Act. The regulations clarify state authorization requirements for institutions to participate in the Department’s federal student aid programs, while also addressing state and federal oversight of American colleges operating in foreign locations worldwide.

US Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell has expanded on the need for these new regulations, saying:

“These proposed regulations achieve an important balance between accountability and flexibility, and in so doing create better protections for students and taxpayers. Additionally, these regulations promote and clarify state authorization procedures, further strengthening the integrity of federal financial aid programs.”

In 2006, a rule restricting access to federal student aid for distance education programs was abolished by Congress. Since that time, the number of students enrolled in online degree programs has increased dramatically. By 2014, meanwhile, more than half of students at for-profit institutions were enrolled in exclusively distance education courses, compared with an estimated 9 percent of students in public institutions and 15 per cent of students in private nonprofit institutions.

It is a requirement for institutions to be state authorized, as stipulated in the Higher Education Act, in order for them to be eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid. While all higher education institutions must have state authorization in the states in which they are located, there are no federal requirements for distance education providers in states where the institutions are not located. The proposed regulations outline several steps towards closing this loophole.

Institutions that offer distance education or correspondence courses will be required to have their courses authorized by each state in which the institution enrolls students.

Institutions will also be required to document the state process for resolving students’ complaints regarding distance education programs, as well as requiring individualized disclosures to these students, including adverse actions taken against the school, the school’s refund policies, and whether each program meets applicable state licensure or certification requirements.

Foreign branch campuses, meanwhile, will also be authorized by the appropriate foreign government agency.

The Department of Education had previously regulated on state authorization in relation to physical locations and distance education in 2010, but a federal court vacated the distance education portion of the rule on procedural grounds in 2011.

The Department held three session of negotiated rulemaking on these issues in 2014, but the negotiation committee did not reach a consensus. The new proposed regulations are a result of that process and are a new part of a longstanding regulatory effort by the Department to support state oversight of schools that offer distance or correspondence education as well as working to protect students in these programs.

The proposed regulations were published in the Federal Register on July 25 with the Department of Education expecting to publish a final regulation before the end of this year.

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Chris Young

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/dept-of-ed-proposes-new-distance-learning-regulations/feed/0India Online Education Startup Byju’s Raises $75 Million Morehttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/india-online-education-startup-byjus-raises-75-million-more/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/india-online-education-startup-byjus-raises-75-million-more/#commentsThu, 28 Jul 2016 12:00:57 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=281762Just four months after India-based online education startup Byju’s raised $75 million from Sequoia Capital and Sofina, the company has announced plans to raise an additional $50 million to further its international expansion through acquisitions. In an effort to inspire a lifelong love of learning in all students, education startup Byju’s was created to offer […]

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Kristin Decarr

Just four months after India-based online education startup Byju’s raised $75 million from Sequoia Capital and Sofina, the company has announced plans to raise an additional $50 million to further its international expansion through acquisitions.

In an effort to inspire a lifelong love of learning in all students, education startup Byju’s was created to offer high quality, engaging, and accessible education to all. Today the company has grown to become the largest education technology company within India.

The company’s Learning App is already seeing growth in India with a monthly increase of 15%, with the revenue for June 2016 standing at $5.56 million. The app has more than five million downloads and over 200,000 paid subscribers, with 30,000 having been added in the last month.

In an official statement, the company noted that the average student spends 40 minutes on the app per day:

“We are seeing strong inbound interest from multiple investors over the last few months, thanks to our explosive growth. We are keen to bring in partners who will catalyse the next stage for us. On the other hand, we are humbled by the rising popularity and high engagement for our product with 90-percent annual renewal rates from the students. We are constantly innovating the way in which we make learning accessible, effective, engaging and personalised,” said Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO of BYJU’s Learning App.

Founded in 2011, the startup, which is based out of Bengaluru, provides learning programs for students in Class VI-XII as well as preparation programs for competitive exams such as CAT, IAS, GRE and GMAT, writes Sanghamitra Kar for Your Story. The firm converts lessons into video format and uses graphics in order to explain concepts and make learning both contextual and visual instead of theoretical, writes Avik Dasi for The Times of India.

Investor interest in the educator sector is on the rise in India. By March 31, education technology companies in the country had raised a total of $85 million, $75 million of which was raised by Byju.

The previous fundraising endeavor of the startup is one of the largest within the education sector, estimated to be worth $100 million overall. Those funds were put to use toward talent acquisitions, expansion of its product portfolio, and to enter global markets. Currently, the startup is located in India and the Middle East with plans to enter the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Commonwealth by the end of the year.

To date, the company has raised $95 million across three rounds of financing, and includes Manipal Group and Aarin Capital, backed by Ranjan Pai and T V Mohandas Pai, as some of its earliest investors. Most recently, International Finance Corp, associated with the World Bank, proposed an investment of $15 million in exchange for a small stake in the company.

A total of 500 employees work for the company across three specialties – the content creation team, the skilled media production house who work to transform content into an interactive experience, and the technology team, who work on the platform in order to offer an individualized experience to each user.

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Kristin Decarr

]]>http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/india-online-education-startup-byjus-raises-75-million-more/feed/0Report Busts Online College Myths, Details Demographicshttp://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/report-busts-online-college-myths-details-demographics/
http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/report-busts-online-college-myths-details-demographics/#commentsFri, 22 Jul 2016 12:30:17 +0000http://www.educationnews.org/?p=281519A new released report from education technology platform Learning House and Aslanian Market Research, the leading organization for online and adult market research, has detailed the demographics of those students enrolling in online degree programs, as well as what students are looking for in these programs and why they decided to enroll. The annual report, “Online College Students […]

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Kristin Decarr

A new released report from education technology platform Learning House and Aslanian Market Research, the leading organization for online and adult market research, has detailed the demographics of those students enrolling in online degree programs, as well as what students are looking for in these programs and why they decided to enroll.

The annual report, “Online College Students 2016: Comprehensive Data on Demands and Preferences,” determined that online college education has increased access to students who may not have previously enrolled in such programs as a result of time and money issues. A total of 50% of participants reported that they “would not,” “probably would not,” or were “unsure” if they would have looked into higher education if their degree program had not been available online.

Researchers found that many students today are selecting their schools at a faster rate and are not considering as many institutions, with many choosing the first program they see that they like. These students also have an expectation that communication will happen at an increased pace for everything they submit, including financial aid materials and transfer credit eligibility.

“This research demonstrates the important access that online higher education provides to students, while also highlighting the competitive and rapidly growing nature of the industry,” said David Clinefelter, Chief Academic Officer of Learning House, and one of the study’s authors. “Current estimates place the number of students working towards their degrees online at 3.5 million; we expect that number to grow to 5 million by 2020. Institutions of higher learning cannot afford to ignore this population, nor can they resist catering to their needs and inclinations when it comes to choosing the program that is right for them.”

The study also found a variety of proof suggesting that some widely-held beliefs concerning online higher education may not be true. For example, researchers noted that even a very small incentive, such as a $500 scholarship, can influence a students’ decision concerning which school to enroll in. In addition, the campus itself has an influence over the overall decision, with 75% of students visiting their campus at least once per year. The average age of enrollment for online undergraduate students has also fallen from 34 to 29 since 2012.

With 68% of online college students choosing a school within a month or less, IT and computer science have become the most popular major for graduate students, toppling business, in 2016.

The report also looked into why students are choosing the schools they do and what they are looking for in the programs they would like to participate in. Researchers found that not many students were aware of alternative pathways to an education, such as massive open online courses, micro degrees or bootcamps, with 66% of participants citing “no knowledge” or “minimal knowledge” of these options.

Conducted in the spring of 2016, the survey involved a total of 1,500 individuals. All participants were at least 18 years old, held a high school degree, and recently graduated, were currently enrolled, or were planning to enroll in the next year in a fully online undergraduate or graduate degree, certificate, or licensure program.